Shawn McBreairty, the father of twin daughters who are seniors in a Cumberland high school, has reportedly been fighting a yearlong battle against the leftist agenda of the board and the district superintendent. He has recently been banned from attending his daughters’ graduation ceremony.
How did it all happen?
McBreairty told Fox News on Thursday that everything started last June when he received a “white supremacist letter.” It came from the district, right after George Floyd’s death.
“When I read that, I felt assaulted. This wasn't how I grew up. It wasn't how I taught the girls. And frankly, I didn't want the school teaching this kind of information to my kids,” he told the news outlet.
After that he “pushed back” to Jeff Porter, superintendent of Cumberland and North Yarmouth, pointing out to him “very politely, look, as Minneapolis is burning to the ground, you could have talked about the First Amendment and peaceful protest.”
Unfortunately, the dad says Porter “missed all of that. And he kind of said, sorry, you took it that way. He then doubled down on that a couple of days later with a you're-not-woke-enough-to-understand-what-I'm-talking-about letter which basically divided the entire community just like our nation is right now.”
And that’s when the real fight started
That marked the point when the father decided to go on a battle.
“So, I went to the school board meetings. I asked them to make some changes on some things that I had found, and they basically said no. And from there, they tried to cancel me. And once that occurred, I took the fight to them. I really held them accountable to their public comment policy. I used my First Amendment rights and really tried to push the envelope to help them understand that as a parent, I just didn't want that in my community that I've lived in for over 20 years,” he said for Fox News.
He specifically targeted Ann Maksymowicz, “one of the more radical folks” as he described her.
“I took a picture of her and before I left the room, I put that on ... social media. And half the town lost their mind; they couldn't believe that I took a picture of a government official, elected official, and then sent that out to the world.”
Next, he made a “small political sign of Ann that I brought that to a meeting which Jeff Porter kicked me out of, and then I put that sign right beside the road where I live on across the street, illuminated 24 hours a day. And frankly, the leftists lost their mind.”
Then the warning came
As the Daily Wire reports, McBreairty was soon to be served with a “prohibitive conduct warning.” He was banned from school property for “illegally” hanging that sign on a middle school fence.
To attend any on-campus events such as his daughters’ graduation the father needs clearance from the district’s superintendent Jeff Porter.
“As a superintendent, I have good reason not to let him attend this event. However, as a parent I believe that granting this request is important and have chosen to use this lens in making this exception.”
The father will be provided with specific expectations before attending the ceremony.
“I will get those conditions to you in the next week or so prior to graduation, which will include expectations to be followed at the event. In the meantime, your continued adherence to the criminal trespass order is necessary,” Porter said in an email sent out to the dad.
It appears that the Cumberland father will be allowed to go to the ceremony if he meets the conditions, and this has happened after the positive intervention from the Daily Wire.